As we start 2017, football playoffs, basketball and a host of winter sports keep us talking sports.

Last week, I was part of a corporate event at Surf Bowl on Hill Street (ok, Coast Highway) in Oceanside. During the event, the age old argument started…is bowling a sport?

Off it went …bowling, darts, fishing, billiards. Sport? Competition? Recreation? As one saying goes…anything you improve at with alcohol involved, is not a sport.

Without judging, I say any activity off the couch or play-station (or smartphone) with a little competition involved is good with me.

Oceanside Basketball

Congratulations to Coach Cameron Clark and his Oceanside High boys’ basketball team, winners of the Wine Valley (Napa, CA) Tournament in early December. Clark is in his sixth season at Oceanside.

For Clark it was a great return to his roots. A 1981 St. Helena High School graduate, Clark played on back to back CIF North Coast Section Class A championship boys’ basketball teams with the Saints where he was twice named All-Napa County as a point guard.

Oceanside defeated Castlemont of Oakland 65-57, Vintage High of Napa 67-35 and Vallejo High 72-50 to win the tournament.

Juniors Emmanuel Grandison, Jacob Camargo and Donovan Laie lead the Pirates in scoring average and each scored in double figures in the Wine Valley championship game.

Oceanside plays Carlsbad January 10 at the Wally Molifua Gymnasium and open Avocado League East play on January 18 at Rancho Buena Vista.

El Camino Basketball

El Camino Coach Tom Tarantino, who took over for legend Ray Johnson after the 2013-14 season, leads the Wildcats.

El Camino defeated St. Genevieve from Panorama City 82-67 and Dougherty Valley from San Ramon 54-50, in the recent Under Armour Classic at Torrey Pines.

The Wildcats open their league season January 18 at San Marcos. The Wildcats and Pirates meet at El Camino on January 27.

Rose Bowl

With all of the college football bowl games, it was such a treat to see a classic Rose Bowl game on January 2. USC defeated Penn State 52-49 on kicker Matt Boermeester’s 46-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

If you have not heard Boermeester’s story, it’s worth reading. Boermeester is the classic story of never giving up and it never being too late to try anything.

Matt’s father, Peter, was a kicker at UCLA. Matt attended Cathedral Catholic High and played baseball but not football. Matt was part of the Don’s CIF championship baseball team in 2012.

In junior college he decided to try kicking. While kicking for Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Matt attended a USC kicking camp and was offered a scholarship.

The Rose Bowl winning kick was his first kick with a game on the line. Not bad for a former high school outfielder who had never kicked in his life and started playing football at the junior college level without any prior kicking experience.